Konoha Academy: With A Difference
by Kierazaki Aka
Summary: A/U: KHS, the most reputed high school in all of Konoha, is about to be turned upside-down with the arrival of a certain blond. NaruHina/SasuSaku/side pairings campus romance, band! Akatsuki, SasuNaru friendship and  of course  ItaSasu brotherly love.
1. An Unpleasant Start

DISCLAIMER: If we owned Naruto, we would so not be writing fanfiction.

**A/N: This is a story co-written by me (Kiera) and my friend Miya. So we'll be writing the chaps alternately. I'm starting the 1****st**** chap. Hope you guys like it.**

**Chapter 1. An Unpleasant Start**

Silence prevailed in the grand, majestic stone mansion. The shutters of the windows were tightly drawn, the imposing front door was closed. It seemed as if even air had been forbidden entry in the dark home. A bare cherry blossom tree stood in the grounds, buffeted by icy winds. Autumn was in the offing.

The dining room, like the rest of the house, was silent even though it was inhabited by people. Robes rustled as servants entered the room, to place the steaming food on the polished low mahogany table. Three people were seated in lotus-positions on fine-quality mats placed on the floor, solemnly partaking of the food. Everything about the scene signified sobriety and aristocracy. But the silence wasn't going to last long.

'I have read the reports sent by your teachers, Sasuke, and I must say that I am not pleased, not pleased at all.' The raven-haired man seated at the head of the table looked at his fifteen-yr old son. The man shook his hair back slightly, the brown tints to his hair contrasting greatly with his cold onyx eyes.

The teenager looked up slowly at his father, his blackish-blue bangs framing the sides of his carved pale face, 'I am afraid I do not understand, Tou-san.'

'Oh, you don't?' Fugaku coldly regarded his youngest son. His voice took on a sarcastic, lightly taunting note. 'But surely Uchiha Sasuke, the son of Uchiha Fugaku and brother of Uchiha Itachi, is intelligent enough to understand what his father is referring to? Or maybe you're simply too indifferent to care?'

Sasuke lowered his eyes to the food in front of him with a non-existent appetite. The woman next to him who greatly resembled him, spoke in a hesitant voice, 'B..But Sasuke…..has been doing extraordinarily well in his studies so far.'

'Oh, he has been doing 'extraordinarily well' indeed.' Fugaku's piercing gaze never wavered from his son. 'And he's deluded himself to believe that 'extraordinarily well' is enough for the name of Uchiha.'

Sasuke tightened in his seat. His voice was as level as possible though the coldness of it wasn't entirely lost, 'I am sorry Tou-san...if you've been disappointed…..'

'Disappointed? Disappointed?' the ever-prominent creases under Fugaku's eyes deepened as he questioned his son. 'That's a rather relative term, isn't it Sasuke?'

'Sasuke…really is trying his best.' Mikoto looked almost entreatingly at her husband. 'He's getting top marks in all his subjects and….' Mikoto's hesitant defense of her son was stopped by Fugaku's silencing look.

Fugaku turned his attention back to Sasuke, 'If _this _is your best, then I wonder how you were even _born _with that last name. An unfortunate accident maybe?'

Sasuke's hands clenched the side of the mat. He looked directly into his father's eyes with a calm, almost challenging stare, onyx meeting onyx. 'I assure you, _Father_. One day I shall prove to be worthy of the Uchiha name.'

'I recall you saying that a countless times, _Sasuke_.' Fugaku's eyes flashed. 'But you're yet to come up on _anyone's_ expectations, least of all mine.' Fugaku leant slowly forwards, thinly veiled anger flickering in his eyes, 'Sometimes I wonder how _you_ came to be Itachi's younger brother. You're not even _worthy_ of being my son.'

Sasuke slammed the table forwards and stood up, hands clenched at his sides. His voice was icy to the core, even though he was addressing his mother, 'Kaa-san, I'm getting _late._ I _need _to go to the academy.' Without another word, Sasuke walked out of the room leaving an enraged Fugaku and a pained Mikoto behind. Slipping on his shoes, Sasuke swung his shoulder-bag on with unnecessary force as it crashed into an ornate porcelain vase which instantly fell to the floor and smashed into pieces. Paying no heed to the mess, Sasuke proceeded to storm out of the house when a woman's call stopped him.

'Sasuke, please wait.' Sasuke turned to see Mikoto standing near the door, her bluish-black locks waving in the wind, a hurt expression on her face. Not in the mood to hear his mother's pleas to calm down, Sasuke turned his face again and pushed open the door.

'Sasuke, please.' A soft hand took hold of Sasuke's wrist. Having no choice, Sasuke cast a glance at Mikoto's tear-stained face. 'Please…..please listen to me.'

Something softened in Sasuke's eyes. He turned fully and gazed at his mother, who couldn't help but smile lightly at this, 'Sasuke….your father…he doesn't really mean it….'

'Mother, I don't want to talk about him.' Sasuke's tone allowed no arguments. His eyes turned ice-cold again. Unable to see her son's bitterness, Mikoto pulled Sasuke into an embrace.

Sasuke was stiff at first. Relentless, Mikoto clung on to him, refusing to let go of her youngest son. Gradually, Sasuke's shoulders sagged and he gave in to his mother's embrace, 'Kaa-san, I know why Father hates me.'

Mikoto looked her son worriedly in the eye, 'That's not true, Sasuke! Your father loves you.' Her tone entreated Sasuke to believe her and just let go, but Sasuke had had enough. 'No Kaa–san, Father _hates_ me. No matter how much you deny it, it's true. He does hate me and I know the reason for his hatred.'

Mikoto looked into Sasuke's face again. His face was wrought with something akin to pain, his eyes overflowing with angst. A tiny pearl-drop rolled down his pale cheeks and dropped off his chin. Sasuke's voice broke as he spoke:

'I never meant to kill her Kaa –san…I am so sorry… I never meant to kill her…..

'Good morning, Sasuke.'

'Good morning, Iruka-sensei.'

Iruka looked worriedly at the raven-haired boy whose eyes were way too old for his age. His tone was polite enough but his face told an entirely different story. 'Is there something wrong, Sasuke?'

Sasuke looked directly at his teacher with a blank face. 'Of course not Sensei. Everything is perfectly alright.' Iruka probed his eyes for a sign of grief but Sasuke did not betray any visible emotion.

Iruka sighed resignedly, 'Very well. What I wanted to inform you about was that a new student, Uzumaki Naruto will be joining us shortly. I wanted you to guide him for a bit, since he shall be totally unfamiliar with the school and the classes.'

Sasuke's eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly, 'With all due respect, Iruka-sensei, why me?' There was an innate suspicion to his voice.

'Well it is quite sad really, but unfortunately the boy does not have a mother.' Iruka looked intently at Sasuke, waiting for any sign of emotion to slip through his face. 'I thought that you would be able to empathize best with the boy and help him through school.'

The double-meaning to the sentence did not go unnoticed by Sasuke. Iruka relentlessly strove on 'Will you help him, Sasuke?'

'Of course sensei, whatever you say.' His affirmation was delivered in a flat tone of voice. 'With your permission Sensei, I'm getting late for class.'

Iruka gazed at the back of Sasuke as he walked down the hallway. The boy was outstanding in his studies, extraordinarily polite but never said a word beyond what was necessary. And then again, there were his eyes which permanently had a haunted look to them. Sasuke would forever mystify those around him who wished to know the secret behind his dark emotionless eyes.

Sasuke calmly walked down the corridor, pacing towards his next class. He passed by a group of girls huddled together outside the door who broke out in a burst of giggles the moment they caught sight of him. A few of them looked appreciatively at his tall, defined form and his stylishly messy jet-black hair with dark blue tints to them. Sasuke ignored them as usual. He entered the classroom and was going to sit in his customary seat right at the back, when he saw an unpleasantly familiar blonde sitting next to his seat. With a mental groan, he sat without saying a single word, but the girl next to him did not follow his lead and began talking the moment she spotted him.

'Sasuke-kun! I was waiting for you for ages.' Ino could have burst with happiness. She was sitting next to _the_ Uchiha Sasuke! She could feel the other girls' jealous stares till here.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. In a voice that could not completely disguise his irritation, he said, 'I wasn't aware that this was your seat.'

'Well….um…..' Ino blushed. 'Actually….I….I…need your help! Yes I need your help. In my um…..studies! Can you please help me?'

'I think the person you sit with will be more than capable of helping you.' Sasuke commented in the most offhanded tone possible.

'You mean Shikamaru? Well yeah….. he's smart but he gets a zero all the time …..' Ino trailed off, trying to find an excuse to get Sasuke to help her. 'But….I'm sure _you'd_ be a much better teacher! I mean if you could tutor me and…..'

'Ino, I'm busy. Can I talk to you later?' Sasuke cut Ino off in the middle of her sentence in what was plainly a clear dismissal. His politeness was waning the moment Ino spoke in her annoying voice, and now he did not have time to listen to her nonsense.

'Um…ok.' Ino blushed again, this time out of embarrassment. She shuffled quickly to her seat and sat down, clutching her hands. Her neighbor sitting behind poked her sharply on the shoulder.

'Ino-chan, when will you ever give up?' Sakura pulled at a strand of her short pink hair between her fingers. 'Why do you waste all your time chasing after him anyway?'

'God Sakura, he is _the_ Uchiha Sasuke! All the girls are crazy after him!' Her momentary embarrassment forgotten, Ino chattered excitedly to her best friend. 'There's no way I'm giving up! Not unless someone else gets him, that is. But I'm not gonna let it happen.'

Sakura sighed, 'It's useless arguing with you. Heaven knows what you and all the other girls see in that rude guy anyway.'

'Rude!' Ino looked as if Sakura had plunged a kunai through her heart. 'He's always so polite to everyone Sakura! The teachers, students everyone! And of course, the most important thing: he's so damn hot!' Ino sighed dreamily.

'Yeah he may be polite but that doesn't mean he's nice.' Sakura cast a gaze behind her at the dark-haired, impassive Uchiha. His dark orbs glared a hole into the desk. 'And he may be hot, but that's not the only thing which matters.'

'God, you nerds! Always so fixed on character and everything.' Ino blew a strand of blonde hair out of her eyes. 'But I thought you were different Sakura! I mean, you like bad boys, don't you?'

'Yes, but there's something different about this one.' Sakura thought about all those times she had pondered on the weird emotions she had glimpsed in his eyes. 'His eyes, they're so….'

'Dreamy, right?' Ino looked like she was in a dream herself.

'No, you idiot.' Sakura rapped at her irritatingly. 'His eyes are so…haunted.'

'Haunted?' repeated Ino incredulously. 'You know, I can say loads of things about Sasuke's eyes but haunted won't be one of them. How can someone's eyes be haunted anyway? I've only heard of haunted houses or trees. Is he supposed to have ghosts _inside_ his eyes?'

Sakura groaned, 'I didn't mean that. I meant that his eyes looked as though he has faced a lot of sorrow and pain in his life.'

'Well Sakura, all I can say is that you've read _way_ too many ghost stories lately.' Ino turned in front. 'Now that all your theorizing about Uchiha Sasuke's anguished past is done, I need to get some homework done.' Ino briskly grabbed Sakura's papers from her desk.

'When will you stop copying your homework from me, Ino-chan?' Sakura wearily commented.

'The day you admit that Sasuke's the hottest guy on the planet.' Ino winked at her.

Snorting at Ino's last comment, Sakura couldn't help but gaze backwards again at the subject of their recent topic of conversation. He looked the same as he always had: quiet and unusually cold.

_Cold yet hot at the same time…_

'Shut up, Inner Sakura.' Sakura muttered. The guy sitting two seats away from her looked quizzically at her, clearly wierded out by what she had just said. Sakura simply smiled cordially at him and started flipping through her book. But her thoughts were buzzing somewhere else.

_Is he hiding a secret?_

Sasuke sat on the floor, leaning against the cold, hard stone wall. He closed his eyes wearily. But those images flashed in front of his eyes again and he opened them quickly, trying to stifle those images with the sights and sounds of his surroundings.

The recent clash with his father had again brought those memories to the forefront of his mind, the memories which he tried so hard to avoid. But memories just like thoughts could not be banished so easily, by simply trying not to think about them. The more one tried, the more desperately he would fail, and now Sasuke was going through the same ordeal. He tried, he tried so hard to forget it, to follow his mother's advice, but it was proving to be impossible.

Sasuke struck the stone wall with his fist in frustration. The wall did not break, but there was a very audible crack from his knuckles. Sasuke groaned, the physical pain now added to the mental one he was already feeling. He leant fully against the wall and closed his eyes again, admitting defeat to the memories who claimed him as he lay there against the wall:

'_Sasuke, calm down your anger. You brother didn't do it purposely.' Mikoto genially entreated her eight-yr old son who was currently throwing a tantrum. She looked tired and wan as she had been persuading him for a long time and her swollen stomach was taking a toll on her._

'_No, he did do it purposely. I hate Itachi! ' Sasuke sulked, folding his arms tightly as he refused to look anywhere near his mother's face. _

_Mikoto sighed, 'Sasuke, you shouldn't say things like that about your big brother. He's five years elder to you.'_

'_So?' Sasuke demanded, finally looking into his mother's face. 'That doesn't mean he has the right to do whatever he wants! I hate him!'_

'_What's going on here? Sasuke, don't speak ill of your big brother.' Fugaku entered the room, the creases underneath his eyes deepening as he looked sternly at Sasuke._

'_But Tou-san…..' Sasuke lowered his eyes as he spotted Fugaku's stern face. 'Itachi broke my video game!'_

'_And he shall apologise for it.' Fugaku amended. But he continued in a severe voice, 'But you will show respect towards your elder brother and not speak ill of him. Is that clear?'_

'_No! I won't forgive Itachi! Never!' the rebellious spirit had struck Sasuke and he ran out of the room, pursued by his parents. Mikoto managed to block him as he prepared to sprint down the staircases. 'Sasuke, Itachi didn't mean to do it. And he's truly sorry for it. Now, please forgive him.' Mikoto stretched her arms towards Sasuke to embrace him and finally tame his stubborn will._

'_No!' Sasuke pushed an approaching Mikoto backwards who bending forward to hug him, could not retain her balance. She was standing on the precipice of the landing right on the edge of the staircase and as Sasuke pushed her, she stumbled backwards and her feet could find no stable footing. As Fugaku raced forwards to grab the hand of his flailing wife, it fell short by an inch and Mikoto fell backwards off the steep staircase._

'_MOTHER!'_

**A/N: If you liked it, please, please, please review!**


	2. A New Student

DISCLAIMER: If we owned Naruto, he wouldn't be taking so darn long to become Hokage!

**A/N: So, this chapter is supposed to help lighten the mood more, which is why it has Naruto in it.**

**Chapter 2. A New Student**

"Man, he really doesn't wake up early!" Jiraiya groaned, staring at the sleeping figure on the bed. The time by the alarm clock read 7:30, and still the boy wasn't up yet. Jiraiya had tried everything – throwing water, pulling the sheets from under him, taking the blankets away, shouting, opening the window to let the sunlight in, banging pots and pans…and the boy didn't even stir, just lay there snoring on the floor (the sheets were pulled away, remember?) while the room became a complete mess.

"_CHIKUSHO, _WAKE UP ALREADY!" roared Jiraiya in frustration, bringing the boy's father to the room.

"He's not awake yet?" Minato asked, his eyes wide in that super-cute curious way. He looked like a typical single father – white apron over his navy-blue sweatshirt and black jeans, spoon in one hand and frying pan in the other.

"No!" Jiraiya cried, tears streaming down like miniature waterfalls. "How do you manage him everyday? !"

Minato gave a small grin (which would be a wide smile) and walked over to where his son was still sprawled on the floor. "Naruto," he whispered. "I made Pork Miso!"

The teen was back to his knuckleheaded-hyperactive self in an instant. "PORK MISO? ! WHERE ? !"

"Works every time," Minato smirked confidently. "Hurry and wash up or you'll be late for school."

"Okay," Naruto yawned. He noticed Jiraiya standing in the doorway with one eye twitching and smiled cheerfully, not noticing the vein popping out on his forehead. "Oh, hey, _Ero-sennin_!"

Jiraiya sweat-dropped and walked out of the room with a frustrated sigh.

Naruto was dressed and in the kitchen within five minutes, eagerly holding out his bowl like a hungry puppy (not that puppies _hold out_ their bowls…). He was wearing his new uniform, which consisted of a black blazer, white shirt, black tie, black pants, and black Converse. "Look at you," Minato commented with a smile. "Dressed like that, you could pass as one of those serious A-plus students!"

Naruto scowled and began fixing his look. He undid his top shirt button, turned up his collar, loosened his tie, folded up his sleeves and didn't tuck his shirt in. "Much better," he grinned, winking and holding out his hand in a thumbs-up.

"Some things never change," Jiraiya sighed. "Well, I'll be going now, Minato. Naruto, need a ride?"

"Who would when they've got my baby?" Naruto asked, his grin growing wider.

"Baby?" Jiraiya looked confused. Naruto held out a black skateboard with green flames spray-painted on it, looking at it adoringly. Jiraiya formed an 'O' with his mouth before shrugging and heading out the door. Naruto was still stroking the thing when Minato handed him his food.

"_Hai,_" he smiled. "Eat up. You need the energy for today!"

"Thanks, dad," Naruto replied, greedily hogging the home-recipe omelet. His chopsticks moved so fast you almost couldn't see them.

"DONE!" he announced after a while. "I gotta run. _Ja ne!_"

Minato watched his son race off with a sad smile. He turned to the picture that hung on the kitchen wall for all to see. Their family picture. He stroked the face of the red-haired woman as if she was really there. "He's all grown up now," he muttered. "And we're proud of him. Aren't we, Kushina?"

Naruto zoomed past pedestrians and cars at an unbelievable pace, slowing down only until the last turning. The looming towers of Konoha Academy could easily be seen from there. It looked like a majestic palace, minus the ancient look. He breathed in slightly before speeding up again. The black cast-iron gates were huge, but he saw them as a challenge. Grabbing the edge of the skateboard with both hands, he pushed all his weight up and sailed neatly over the top – only to crash into someone.

"_Gomen nasai!_ I'm sorry!" he cried nervously as he checked his victim for injuries.

"HANDS OFF OF ME!" the woman yelled, shaking him off. She was wearing a black netted vest with a tan overcoat over it, and a whistle hung around her neck, giving the impression that she was some kind of coach. Her brownish-gray hair was tied in a stiff high ponytail that looked like a miniature corona surrounding her head. And the look in her light-brown eyes was highly reminiscent to the stalking glare of a predator.

"Y-You're not a-angry, are you?" Naruto stuttered, suddenly viewing himself as some kind of cornered prey.

The woman stood up and dusted herself off before looking Naruto up and down. "Uzumaki Naruto, am I right?" she asked demandingly, receiving many quick nods in response. "I'm the disciplinarian here, Mitarashi Anko. And in case you don't know what that word means, it means you don't want to mess with me. GOT IT? !"

"_H-Hai!_" Naruto almost whimpered.

Anko seemed satisfied with that, and her face returned to just _slightly _stern – for her, at least. "First of all, I don't want to see you come to school with that offending contraption _ever _again. Second, I expect to see you in your _proper _uniform tomorrow. And third, you will always, always address me as sensei. Understand? !"

"Um…actually…" Naruto began hesitantly. "What does 'offending contraption' mean?"

Anko gave a frustrated sigh. "You may look like your father, but to me it seems very obvious you're Kushina's kid. That babbling tomboy seemed to have bestowed you with all her audacities. Ugh…you may go."

"Jeez, what's her problem?" Naruto muttered to himself the minute she was out of sight. A small crowd of students had gathered to watch the mishap, and a couple of them were already laughing at him, pointing, taking pictures with their cell phones, or whatever. _Great, _Naruto thought sarcastically. _First ten minutes and I'm already branded as the loser. _

He walked on to the classroom Anko had directed him to, sliding the door open. A brown-haired teacher sat behind his desk, talking to a student about Naruto's age. He had black hair that was slightly blue under the light, and cold black eyes that seemed to bore through Naruto's innocent cerulean ones. "Um, hi," Naruto smiled, scratching the back of his head. "I'm Uzumaki Naruto. The new kid?"

"Of course," Iruka smiled. "So you came early. I'm Umino Iruka, your classteacher. And this is Uchiha Sasuke, he'll be your partner and friend here."

The boy named Sasuke flinched a little at the word 'friend', but didn't say anything.

"_Yoroshi ku,_ Nice to meet you," Naruto nodded.

"Well, I'm a little busy so I have to leave now," Iruka said, standing up. "Sasuke? Why don't you show Naruto around before class starts?"

"_Hai,_" replied Sasuke monotonously. "Follow me."

Naruto did, a little intimidated by the young Uchiha's indifferent attitude. The next couple of minutes were spent walking around the school, getting familiar with where the different classrooms, labs, and gyms were. The building was huge, almost like a modern-day castle. There were beautiful gardens outside, and a fountain in the very middle of it all.

Sasuke didn't talk much, just pointed out which was which and allowed Naruto to rant on and on about whatever he saw. They went on like that until a bell signaled the start of class. The pair walked back to their classroom just as Iruka stepped in. "_Ohayo, minna_…good morning, everyone!" he greeted with a smile. "I'm happy to announce that we have a new student in our midst. Uzumaki Naruto was born here in Konoha, but he's lived in the Whirlpool country for the most part of his life."

Naruto grinned at everyone like he was already regarding them as his best friends. "Hi! I'm really glad to be here!" he said cheerfully. "And I hope to get a chance to get to know every single one of you." None of the other students seemed to be as enthusiastic, though. He shrugged and walked over to one of the seats at the back, right next to a brown-haired boy with two red tattoos on both cheeks.

"Hey!" the boy exclaimed in a half-whisper (Iruka was still talking). "You're the guy on the skateboard this morning!"

"Unfortunately," Naruto sighed.

"Although that stunt was pretty good, can you teach me to do that?" the boy asked with wide eyes. "I'm Inuzuka Kiba, by the way. I'd introduce you to my dog, but society has a crazy norm that animals don't enter schools."

"Ignore canine-boy there," said another boy with black hair tied in a high ponytail. He looked like he had just woken up. "Nara Shikamaru. And this is my best friend Akimichi Chouji." He pointed to another boy with short, light-brown hair eating a bag of chips which was hidden in his desk.

"Nice to meet you," Naruto smiled. "_All_ of you."

"You seem like one of us," Kiba grinned. "Wanna sit together at lunch?"

"Actually…" began Naruto. "Iruka-sensei said Sasuke was supposed to be guiding me around here."

"Uchiha Sasuke?" Shikamaru scoffed. "Please. He _is _his own best friend."

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Naruto, a little confused.

"He's a loner, he thinks he's too good for the rest of us," Kiba replied, rolling his eyes. "Which, he probably is entitled to, considering he comes from one of Konoha's most prestigious first families. But trust me, he would not like to 'hang out' with anybody else. He keeps to himself."

"That, _and _we're ten times more acquainted with the school than he is. We'll guide you better," yawned Shikamaru.

"For starters, let's give you an intro on who's who," Kiba said with a sly wink. (Cue upbeat music) "See that blonde there? She's Yamanaka Ino, Konoha Academy's very own fashion police. The girl sitting behind her is Haruno Sakura, and yes, that's her natural hair color. She's the most sought-after girl in school. The one with the brown hair in two buns? That is Ten-Ten. She's going out with Hyuuga Neji…that guy over there. The one with the mushroom haircut is Rock Lee, his best friend. Then there's Aburame Shino, enti-enti-enti…" he struggled, trying to pronounce the word. "Ugh, I mean bug freak. Next to him, Sai, the child prodigy artist whose name is always on the papers. And that about rounds up all the decent people in here."

"Now for those you'll want to avoid," said Shikamaru. "The red-head there is your typical female bully, Karin. And her two bully-buddies, Suigetsu and Juugo. They're the only people Sasuke talks to. And that girl over there? Hakodate Ryoko. Sasuke's rumored ex, which makes her the only girl he took an interest in. She's a flirt, so stay away."

Naruto nodded absently, staring at another girl sitting in the front row, head slightly bowed as if she was trying to hide. She had long, black hair and the most beautiful grey eyes, crystal-clear…

"Like water…" Naruto muttered unconsciously. Kiba gave him an odd look, and he straightened. "Um, what about that girl?" he asked hesitantly.

"That's Hyuuga Hinata, Neji's cousin," Chouji answered with a full mouth. "She's the eldest daughter to the head of the Hyuuga industries, which makes her the heir. The money-minded guys ask her out all the time, but she's too shy for that."

"I see…" muttered Naruto. The said girl turned to look at him slightly, but immediately bowed down again when he caught her. Naruto smiled to himself. Where he came from, girls were straightforward and confident – a little too much so, sometimes. He had never met anyone who could be described as timid or shy. Someone like Hinata was new.

"Quit looking at her or you'll be on Neji's hit list," Shikamaru warned. "Trust me, he can get a little…overprotective at times."

Naruto giggled at that and turned his attention back to Iruka, who was wrapping up the briefing. A bell signaled the end of class, and he left the room after telling everyone to behave before the next teacher arrived.

"Which teacher do we have now?" Kiba asked Shikamaru, who checked his timetable. "Asuma…but he didn't show up today, so it's gonna be self-study. Probably."

"Let's bunk class," Kiba said, getting out of his seat. "Come on, Naruto."

Seconds later they were sitting on a lush patch of grass behind the school. Shikamaru was asleep on one of the trees, Chouji was eating underneath it and Kiba and Naruto were just sitting and talking.

"Aren't we gonna get in some kind of trouble for this?" Naruto asked nervously. "My dad will go ballistic if I get in trouble on my very first day."

"Don't worry," Kiba smiled reassuringly. "No one in our class tells tales, no matter how bitchy they are. And anyway, you've got us to back you up. We're your friends."

_Friends. _Naruto smiled back happily. The very first day of school, and he had three crazy friends already. He was beginning to like it here.

**A/N: This is more of an intro than a chapter, I know it's pretty boring. Oh, well, I tried! Leave a review if you liked it! **


	3. Catfights and Quarrels

DISCLAIMER: We own Naruto. Truly. Why, is it illegal to dream?

**Chapter 3. Catfights and Quarrels**

Iruka paced through the filled classroom, handing out sheaves of papers as students simultaneously groaned on receiving their test results. He glanced down at the next paper in his hand which was that of Haruno Sakura. He smiled involuntarily, the marks in his hand were so predictable, even if it was the first test of the semester.

'Congratulations, you aced the test.' Iruka smiled down at his top student and handed out her paper. The pink-haired teenager looked down at her marks and beamed. Her blonde partner peered over her shoulder.

'19 ½ out of 20? Gosh Sakura, can't you not study at least for once?' Ino wrinkled her brows together. 'I mean, it's kinda embarrassing being best friends with a nerd. My reputation will go down the drain.'

Sakura punched Ino's arm, 'Should've thought about it before you befriended me in kindergarten, huh? And anyway, if you didn't copy every single assignment from me, your marks would go down the drain.'

'Yeah whatever.' Ino looked down at her own results. '9 out of 20, who cares anyway? It's not like I need to top my exams to become a fashion designer.'

Iruka moved on to the group of three boys seated right at the back who traditionally got the lowest marks in the class. It seemed like a new guy had joined the group already. He looked down at the paper in his hand and sighed. It was more of a question whether they had badly influenced him or Uzumaki Naruto was the influence. It seemed more of the latter.

'A few days into the year and you've already made an impact.' Iruka sternly tossed the paper on the desk of the new blonde haired boy. 'The school disciplinarian has a lot to say about you.'

Naruto grew red. His hand uncomfortably scrubbed the back of his neck, a rather stupid habit that he had whenever he was embarrassed. He glimpsed the marks on his paper circled in red and groaned internally. It seemed that he really was making a spectacular impact on the teachers of his new school.

'S.. Sensei,' Naruto mumbled, still rubbing the back of his head. 'Won't happen again.'

'It had better not. As for you three,' Iruka sternly regarded Naruto's neighbours, 'You've kept up your record of being the lowest scoring students in the class. You better improve or you won't be as lucky as last year in passing.' Iruka strode away.

'Oops, seems like Sensei forgot to write the zero.' Kiba grinned at the large 2 out of 20 scribbled in red on Naruto's paper.

Naruto glared at him, 'It's not like you got much better! Five out of twenty is just three marks more than mine!'

Choji surfaced from the huge hamburger which he was munching under his desk, 'Hey Shikamaru, how much did you get?' He received no response. His black-haired partner was leaning back in his chair, closing his eyes in a picture-perfect posture of laziness.

'Is it too much of a drag even to check your marks?' Kiba smirked at Shikamaru, accenting the red tattoos on his cheeks. He cast a glance on the paper on Shikamaru's desk and his eyes widened of their own accord. He snatched up the paper in his hand and held it up for Naruto to see.

'A zero?' Naruto looked at the blank paper in Kiba's hand with eyes that couldn't get any larger. 'Wait, you didn't write _anything_ on the paper?'

'Man!' Kiba confusedly scratched his head. 'Even the lowest I ever got was a ½! Damn Shikamaru, you broke my record!'

'Attention students.' Iruka's statement managed to draw the attention of the four boys at the back (well three because Shikamaru's eyes were still closed). 'I have an announcement to make. Someone in this class has managed to earn a double promotion.'

Most of the students's attention had been fixated on their test results but this announcement managed to make everyone sit up and listen. Even Karin and her followers who were traditionally lost in their gossip snapped up on hearing Iruka's words.

All of a sudden, the boy seated next to Neji Hyuuga got up from his chair and crossed to the other side of the classroom. He went down on his knees, grabbing the hand of a pink-haired teenager, 'Congratulations, fair Sakura, your mind precedes your beauty. No one in the kingdom,' he gestured wildly around the classroom, 'has your equal in beauty or intelligence.'

The class burst out in a crowd of sniggers. Sakura grew red in embarrassment and wrenched her hand out of the boy's grip. Thankfully, her friend came to her rescue, 'Buzz off, mushroom-head!'

Rock Lee looked hurt. 'But Ino-chan, I was just praising-'

'Well, keep your praise to yourself! And stop being a social embarrassment. Now shoo!' Ino fended Rock Lee away with her hand, much like one shooed away a mangy dog on the road.

'Well I'm sorry to disappoint but Miss Haruno Sakura is not the one who earned the double promotion.' Iruka's next words shocked all the class. Ino who had been pushing Rock Lee away stopped in mid-shove. Rock Lee for his own part stood with his mouth hanging open.

'But if Sakura didn't get it, but who did?' Ino asked as Rock Lee managed to close his mouth with incredible effort.

'Nara Shikamaru.'

A deathly silence descended over the class. Ino stood motionless and Rock Lee's jaw now hit the floor. The subject in concern finally deigned to open his eyes. But the best reaction came from someone else.

'WHAT! HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE?' Naruto's scream deafened almost the entire class. The silence broke and a few scattered chuckles broke out. Soon, the chuckles catapulted into full-out laughter.

Naruto was too flustered to care, 'HE GOT A ZERO! AND I GOT A TWO! HOW THE HELL DID HE GET A PROMOTION!' The laughter grew even louder as Naruto unintentionally blurted out his marks. Naruto finally became conscious of the situation he was putting himself in and blushed deeply. Realising that he was standing, he somewhat sheepishly sat down.

'Shikamaru, I'll be meeting you outside my office after recess.' Iruka calmly walked out of the classroom, rubbing his nose rather conspicuously. It seemed that the new student was really going to be a handful.

'I still don't get it.' Kiba absentmindedly chewed the end of his ramen noodle hanging out of his mouth. 'I don't think anyone ever in history who got a zero has been granted a double promotion.

The group of four boys was sitting in the cafeteria, having their lunch. The mystery of how Shikamaru got a double promotion, needless to say, remained a mystery. The general opinion now was that the teachers had finally, to put it in a polite way, gone nuts.

'Damn.' Shikamaru was slumped on the table, head in his hands. This single mono-syllable explained his frustration more than adequately. Choji took a break of two seconds from his lunch to reassuringly pat his best friend on the back. After two seconds, he resumed pigging out.

'All I can say is that the teachers in this school are WEIRD.' Naruto shuffled ramen into his mouth throughout his speech. 'I mean, first that crazy woman with the killer eyes half-murders me on the first day of school, then Iruka-sensei who I thought was half-decent for a teacher scolds me for getting two, and gives double promotion to Shikamaru who got a zero! They seriously need a mental hospital.'

'Who needs a mental hospital?' A distinctly female voice spoke from behind Naruto. Naruto froze in the middle of shoving his noodles inside his mouth and turned around in slow motion. To his immense relief, he saw a blonde girl his own age with her hands on her hips standing behind him.

'Whew! I thought you were that crazy psycho I saw earlier-' Naruto visibly relaxed. But the blonde girl was no less as she fixed him with an intimidating stare. 'Crazy psycho?'

'Relax Ino, he wasn't talking about you.' Kiba leaned back in his chair.

Ino looked coolly at Naruto. 'Couldn't care less what an idiot thinks. Anyway,' Ino walked around the table to Shikamaru and fixed him with the same piercing gaze. 'What was Iruka-sensei talking about?

'You think I understand it any better than you do?' Shikamaru rolled his eyes.

Ino shrugged. Shikamaru raised an eyebrow. Ino smirked.

'Erm,' Naruto nudged Kiba softly, whispering, 'What language are they talking in?'

Before Kiba could reply, another voice dropped in, 'Nerd language.'

Naruto turned his head around and his mouth dropped open. Standing before him was a stunningly striking girl with long chocolate hair with blonde highlights hanging in loose ringlets around her face. Her bluish-green eyes shone out amongst her aristocratic features. She smirked, emphasizing her high cheekbones.

Beside him, Ino groaned, 'Hakodate Ryoko. Aw no.'

'You don't seem very pleased to see me, Ino-chan.' Ryoko smiled beautifully, sarcasm lacing every word in her voice. Her sea-hued eyes shifted towards Naruto. 'So this is the new student, huh? I must admit, I've never quite seen a jackass like him.'

Naruto shifted uneasily. There was something about Ryoko's condescending manner which made him unable to think of a comeback. Someone else stepped in for him, 'Sorry Ryoko-chan, but your opinion isn't the most valued one here.' Ino glared back at her.

By now, a pretty large crowd had gathered around. Kiba was looking particularly excited, 'Cat-fight.'

Ryoko's eyes narrowed, 'I always knew you were a jealous brat, after all, your crush on Sasuke is quite well known.' Ryoko smirked, 'Jealous of his ex now, are you?'

Ino remained completely unaffected. She drawled, 'You know, I haven't really met someone who brags about being _dumped_ by someone. You're quite unique, Ryoko.'

The crowd snickered. There really was no match for Ino's sarcasm- well, Karin was just as good, but that didn't matter. Ryoko looked enraged, anger contorting her lovely features, and furiously stormed off.

Naruto nudged Kiba again, 'Are things always this crazy in this school?'

Shikamaru wearily followed Iruka into the higher grade class. The moment he entered, the buzz of chattering students stopped as their attention simultaneously fixed on the young new arrival. Shikamaru internally groaned. This was gonna be _really _tiring.

'Good morning, this is Nara Shikamaru, he has recently been granted a double promotion and although he is younger than all of you, he will now be studying in your class. I hope you all welcome him.' Iruka smiled momentarily. He turned towards Shikamaru, 'I want you to actually put an effort in this class, okay?' Iruka departed.

Shikamaru's eyes scanned over his new class. Everyone was eyeing him condescendingly, some muttering over a 'baby' joining such an advanced class. Shikamaru sighed inside his mind. Seemed like his new classmates were even more idiotic than the previous ones.

Surveying the classroom, Shikamaru finally spotted a lone empty seat in the class, next to a tall, sandy-haired girl right at the back. Submitting himself to the inevitable, he walked towards the back and slung his bag on the empty seat. He himself slumped into the seat immediately afterwards.

The girl coolly looked at him. Shikamaru felt as if he was being inspected, as the girl scrutinized him up to down. Finally, a disdainful look crossed her face. Apparently, she wasn't extremely impressed as she looked down at him with derisive eyes, 'Who are you?'

Paying no attention to the girl beside him, Shikamaru leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. The disdainful expression on the girl's face morphed into a confused one. 'Hello, I'm talking to you over here?'

Shikamaru gave no reply. Eyes remaining closed, he stretched his arms and put them underneath his head. Comfortable, he deigned to go off into a deep sleep when the girl's voice interrupted him again, 'Hello? Are you listening to me?'

Temari was getting irritated. Firstly, it was her first day at this new school and all of her classmates had proved themselves to be complete idiots. They couldn't even solve a simple sum and looked at her weirdly when she did it with such ease. There was not a trace of intelligence, forget intellect, in any of her classmates. And now this young boy just strode into class and sat beside her. He was probably a bigger idiot than all her classmates combined, not to mention he was younger than her. And worse part of all, he was behaving as if she didn't even exist!

'Hel-lo.' Temari waved her hand in front of his face. That irritating boy finally opened one eye. He cocked an eyebrow at her.

'What? Can't you speak?' Temari asked aggravatedly. To her extreme annoyance, the boy closed the eye he had just opened as if she wasn't worthy of her attention. Temari flared up. Who did he think he was?

'Are you going to continue behaving like an arrogant brat? Because I don't have the patience for it.' Temari spoke in her usual arrogant tone.

The boy finally opened his eyes. He looked sardonically at Temari, 'Then why are you bothering me?'

Temari was incensed. The nerve of him! What blatant arrogance! She was about to speak when the boy cynically raised his eyebrows again.

'If you have nothing of interest to say, please don't disturb me again.' Then acting as if nothing had occurred, he closed his eyes again and leant back on the chair, turning away from Temari.

Temari felt like gritting her teeth. If this was the guy she had to spend the rest of the year with, then she definitely wasn't looking forward to it.

**A/N: Please, please, please, anyone who reads this, please review!**


	4. The Enigma from the Sand

DISCLAIMER: We did not own Naruto, we do not own Naruto, and we never will own Naruto. Period.

**A/N: Special thanks to our anonymous reviewer Sora for the review, we appreciate it!**

**Chapter 4. The Enigma from the Sand**

"Exchange students?" Naruto repeated, ramen-filled chopsticks in mid-air.

Ino nodded to confirm what she had just said. "Suna high is almost as prestigious as Konoha Academy in the Suna region," she added. "There's an exchange program for almost every year…this year they're sending three students. Shikamaru, one of them is in your class."

"I figured," yawned Shikamaru. "I'd never seen that girl before. Is she the oldest?"

"No," replied Ino, ever the gossiper. "Temari-san is the second. She has an older brother, Kankurou, who's in freshman year at our university."

"Who's the third one?" asked Kiba curiously.

At that, Ino drew in closer as if it was supposed to be a secret. The others followed suit. "Temari-san's youngest brother is Gaara," she whispered. "Or, more appropriately, Sabaku no Gaara."

"S-Sabaku no Gaara? !" Naruto repeated with wide eyes. "As in…the one they call the terror of high schools?"

Ino nodded again. "The very same one. He's been in and out of juvie twice for the same reasons…either murder or intentional violence. No one can beat him in a fight. And he gets angry very, very easily."

Chouji gulped quietly, whether to swallow his pizza or out of fear no one could tell.

"How come I never heard of him before?" asked Kiba, scratching his head like those zoo-monkeys. "And how do you know him, Naruto?"

"Where I come from, it's not strange for someone like that to turn up," the said boy replied. "Our neighborhood was one of those street ones, you know what I mean? Gaara has beaten up quite a few of our guys. Of course I would know him."

"_Ma, _we don't need to worry," Ino chirped with a slight squeal. "Sasuke-kun will protect us for sure!"

Kiba rolled his eyes and pushed her away to her own group of friends. "Guy talk only!" he shouted teasingly. Ino scowled but walked away nonetheless.

~ X ~

The next day in class, the topic of all hallway rumors finally made an appearance.

"This is Gaara," Iruka introduced with a cheerful smile. "Please be friendly, all of you."

Gaara had red hair and a tattoo on his forehead that read 'love'. There were dark rings around his eyes that could've been either a large amount of mascara, or dark circles, or both. And his eyes were emerald green, contrasting greatly with his hair.

Most everyone shuddered, either mentally or otherwise. Gaara glared at them all, as if already warning them to stay away. Only three people didn't seem taken aback.

Sasuke countered the murderous glare with his own Uchiha death-glare.

Sai stared, seemed disinterested, and turned back to his sketchbook.

Naruto gave a hesitant 'Welcome' grin.

And Gaara ignored all three. He walked over to one of the seats in the middle row and sat down silently.

"Great, another emo wannabe," Kiba whispered to Naruto. "Like we need any more. Neji, Sasuke and Shino are enough, thanks very much."

Naruto chuckled half-heartedly, his mind processing other thoughts. Gaara seemed like any other delinquent would, yes, but he was sure he sensed something…_else_ about him.

~ X ~

"Come in," Principal Tsunade answered to a knock on her door. Iruka entered, not his usual sunshine-and-smiles self. In fact, his face looked dead serious as he sat down.

"I suppose this is about Gaara," the blonde-haired lady sighed.

"Yes," Iruka nodded. "I'm worried about the students being around someone with such a reputation, Tsunade-sama. Perhaps we should've listened to his previous schools' warnings before we put someone in danger?"

Tsunade shook her head slightly. "You of all people should know that appearances can be deceptive," she answered.

"I understand that," Iruka protested. "And in most cases I would believe that. Yes, there's something good in everybody, but to me it seems that Gaara has smothered any shred of good in him."

"Not true," said Tsunade. "We simply need someone to bring out the good in him." She smirked.

"You mean…" Iruka trailed off.

Tsunade nodded. "Put him and Naruto together for a while. I'm interested to see how things turn out."

"But…" Iruka hesitated, then sighed resignedly. "All right. I suppose, like Shikamaru's double promotion, you won't explain this to me?"

"Shikamaru is smart, anyone can see that," replied Tsunade. "Asuma recommends him. He's just too lazy to put in any effort into his work."

Iruka nodded and left to make the necessary arrangements.

~ X ~

Gaara sat in the furthest corner of the cafeteria, along with his sister. As usual, Temari was too afraid to talk, although she did send him concerned glances once in a while. He knew what she wanted to say. It wasn't what he wanted to hear. The students here were the same as everywhere else, giving him either cold or frightened looks all the time. It was well and good that they were afraid of him, it kept them from trying to get close…and seeing how ugly he was inside…

"Hey!" A cheerful voice interrupted. Gaara looked up in shock, into bright blue eyes with absolutely no hidden motives behind them.

Temari looked stunned, and then found her voice. "_B-Baka!_" she said sternly. "What are you…doing? !"

Naruto looked confused. "Making friends," he answered frankly. "Iruka-sensei said that I was supposed to keep Gaara company since he and I are both new and all…"

Temari looked scared and desperate at the same time. "I'm enough company for him – "

"Temari." The stern reprimand kept her quiet, and she stared at Gaara, who nodded. "It's okay. Go."

She obeyed, meekly walking off to one of the juniors' tables.

Naruto sat down in the empty seat, and by now everyone was staring at him like he was crazy (again). "That's a little harsh, considering she's your older sister and all, _ne?_" he asked with a smile.

"Why are you talking to me?" was all Gaara could say. This cheerful boy didn't seem one bit afraid of him. He didn't seem to hate him either. He really seemed to just want to be friends.

_No, _Gaara shook his head. _There's no such thing as friendship and love. He's only doing it because the teacher forced him to. He's just as afraid of me as everyone else. _

"I'm considered a total blockhead here," replied Naruto with a shrug. "Idiots don't do sensible things. _Ne?_"

Gaara was taken aback by the simple answer. Naruto was still grinning at him. No…not _at _him. _With_ him.

"So, we're official friends then?" asked Naruto intently…like he was really excited about the prospect.

"I don't keep friends," Gaara answered coldly.

To his surprise, Naruto didn't clam up or seem at all hurt. He just shrugged again. "Okay, then, mutual acquaintances. Or maybe fellow newbie's? Yeah, that works. I'll see you around!" He stood up as if to leave, and then hesitated. "And by the way, since we're talking and all, can I ask you why you put so much eyeshadow?"

"They're dark circles," Gaara replied before he could stop himself. "I have insomnia."

"I see. Well, _Ja ne!_"

~ X ~

Sasuke walked down the steps at the front of the school until he spotted Gaara by the fountain. He smirked and walked over, an air of dangerous confidence around him. "You wanted to meet me?" he asked as he approached the red-headed boy.

Gaara looked up with eyes that might as well have been daggers. "Uchiha Sasuke," he stated. "I hear you're a very skilled fighter."

"Everyone in our family is," replied Sasuke emotionlessly. "What's your point?"

"Let's see how true the rumors are," Gaara smiled maliciously. "Let's have a fight. Here and now."

"I don't break the rules," said Sasuke with a glare. "After school, at the basketball court."

"Afraid?" Gaara asked, his evil smirk growing wider. "You should be. Run off, then. The Uchihas seem to be nothing but overrated cowards, I supp – "

A blow to his face cut him short. He staggered backwards, but didn't fall. Sasuke was angry now. How _dare _this newcomer insult his family? !

Gaara wiped a bit of blood off his mouth with a chuckle. "I like that look in your eyes," he drawled. "You're ready to fight."

Sasuke clenched his fists, and tried another punch. Gaara evaded on time, and caught Sasuke's arm, twisting it in the process.

The crowd that had gathered all flinched as Sasuke tried to wrench away, Gaara rendering it impossible. Sasuke crouched, and threw Gaara off balance by swinging his leg.

"You're good," Gaara commented, his chuckles growing more hysterical. "But not good enough. Come on, Uchiha, I want to see…more…blood!"

_Psychopath, _Sasuke thought, rubbing his (assumed) broken arm. He tried to kick Gaara, who caught his foot and nearly swung him away. Taking advantage of the turn, Sasuke promptly struck another blow across Gaara's face.

The emerald eyes flashed with anger, and before long Gaara had Sasuke pinned to the ground, delivering heavier punches repeatedly. Sasuke grabbed his fist as it came down for the fifth time, and pushed Gaara up.

"Take back what you said about the Uchiha," Sasuke demanded, looking deathly serious. Everyone present shuddered, although some of the hardcore fangirls cheered him on.

"Make me," Gaara replied with a smirk.

Enough was enough. Sasuke tried another, stronger kick, sending Gaara flying. Gaara looked shocked as his head hit the ground – hard. Everyone gasped. The fall surely would've been serious? Gaara couldn't even stand up anymore.

"_Shin ne,_" Sasuke muttered, towering over him with his fist raised. "Die."

But someone caught his fist just in time, and Sasuke was shocked to see Naruto standing protectively in front of Gaara. "STOP IT, YOU IDIOT!" he yelled. "WHAT KIND OF SICK PERSON WOULD HIT AN OPPONENT WHO'S ALREADY DOWN? DON'T YOU HAVE A SHRED OF MERCY, _TEMME? !_"

Sasuke glared, but walked away. "Hn. _Dobe_," he muttered amidst the applause from the crowd.

~ X ~

The sun was beginning to set, and it was quite a view from the top of the school building. Gaara was sitting on one of the railings, bruises bandaged and an angry – or pained? – look in his eyes.

"Never knew Sasuke could be a bully," Naruto was muttering. "Who the hell does that no-good loser think he is?"

"I challenged him," replied Gaara, interrupting Naruto's rant. "And I guess I underestimated him."

"Do you really have to hit someone all the time?" Naruto asked suddenly. "I mean, it's senseless. Why do you do it?"

Gaara blinked. No one had asked him that before. Should he tell this seemingly innocent idiot next to him? What could it hurt? "To prove my worth," he replied. Naruto found the hidden meaning easily. _To convince myself that I have a reason to live for. That my existence means something to someone. _

"You've got a lot of problems, don't you?" Naruto asked, purely concerned. "Wanna…tell me about it?"

"No," replied Gaara coldly.

"No pressure," Naruto shrugged.

An uncomfortable silence followed, and Gaara narrowed his eyes as he spoke again. "Why are you so intent on being friends with me? You don't know me. You have no idea – "

"I don't believe in evil people," Naruto answered with a confident grin. "Some people make wrong choices. They make mistakes sometimes and they can't go back to fix it, but they're not _bad. _They're just misguided. That's what my dad tells me all the time."

"I KILLED MY MOTHER!" shouted Gaara unexpectedly. "Alright? ! I covered her eyes while she was driving, and we crashed! _That's _not evil? ! I murdered the one who gave me my life!" Damn, why couldn't he shake this kid off? Why wouldn't Naruto run away and ignore him like all the others? Why the effort to be nice?

He didn't expect the next answer. "I killed my mother too."

Gaara stared in surprise. "What?"

Naruto gave a sad smile. "The doctors said she had a choice," he sighed. "Save her life and give up mine. Or ignore her disease and allow me to be born anyway. She chose the second option. She died because I was born." Another sad, but understanding smile formed. "I get what you're going through, in a way. They tell you not to blame yourself, but it's hard sometimes, you know?"

"You don't know half of what I'm going through," said Gaara angrily. "My father always blamed me. He tried to kill me countless times. My siblings don't care. No one does! That's why they don't deserve to live!"

"Your image of what everyone is like is messed up, Gaara," Naruto answered. "Temari-san cares, I can see that. _I _care. And the teachers here do, that's for sure…" he trailed off, and took a deep breath. "Man, I sound like my godfather! And that's _not _cool, I gotta tell you," he grinned. "Anyway, my point is I wanna be friends, and I'm not leaving until I get what I want. _Dattebayo!_"

Gaara couldn't help but blink again. Naruto comically grabbed his arm and forcefully linked it through his, the other fist punching the air. "Come on! Cheer up already. We may not have the best pasts, but we can always make the present happy!"

He pulled Gaara along and ran to his group of waiting friends outside the school. "Hey, guys!" he waved. "Meet Gaara. Gaara, this is Shikamaru, Chouji, and Kiba."

Kiba grinned cheerfully. "Hey, man! Wanna hang out with us? We're going to the arcade."

"Race you there!" Naruto shouted, running ahead. Chouji and Kiba followed.

Shikamaru muttered a, "This is troublesome," but ran anyway.

And Gaara gave a barely noticeable smile before following them into the sunset…

**A/N: Really fast-paced chapter and Gaara is probably OOC…man, I suck…anyways, review if you forgot to wish Gaara a happy birthday last couple of weeks! (I just discovered it was on 19****th**** Jan…hehe.) **


	5. The SilverEyed Storm

DISCLAIMER: Not Japanese, don't own Naruto. The end.

**A/N: Extra-long chap to compensate for the extra-long wait. Oh and another thing, we're getting a bit tired of the lackluster response to this fic. Guys, we know that you're reading it by looking at the large number of visitors and hits, and we know that you're liking it by the story alerts and favourites. Then why the few number of reviews? Review, review, review, it's the only way to inspire us!**

**Chapter 5. The Silver-Eyed Storm**

Iruka walked down the long hallways of the academy, students occasionally wishing him a good morning, as he paced towards the headmistress office. Rounding across the corner, he walked up the staircases and knocked with a firm knuckle on the large mahogany door. A sharp female voice of 'Come in' beckoned him into the office.

Stepping inside the room, Iruka saw the familiar blonde head of Principal Tsunade as she motioned to him, seated in the high-backed chair behind her desk. However, she was not alone in the room. A man in his thirties was casually reclining on a chair in front of the principal's table. His short, messy hair was a pale grayish white in colour and he was informally dressed in a grey overcoat and dark blue pants. But the strangest thing about him was a navy blue mask stretching across his face, obscuring the lower half of his nose and jaw, and his right eye.

'Iruka, meet Hatake Kakashi, he's our new substitute teacher. Asuma's been absent for quite a while, so Kakashi will be taking his place temporarily. After Asuma rejoins, Kakashi will then start teaching as a permanent teacher.' Tsunade quickly made introductions.

Iruka inclined his head slightly to Kakashi, who reciprocated the action. Iruka took a seat next to him and gestured lightly to the mask on his face, 'Not so willing on showing your face?'

Kakashi shrugged nonchalantly, 'I wouldn't bet on anyone liking it. As for this-' he motioned to his navy mask, 'Let's just say that I have a horrific phobia of accidents.'

Iruka smiled lightly. He turned back to Tsunade, 'I've just received the list of names for the Student Council. The past president of the council passed out last year, so we need to select a new one.'

'Hmmm.' Tsunade stroked her chin in thought. 'Who do you recommend?'

'I think Tenten will be a good choice.' said Iruka. 'She's quite popular with the students, diplomatic and doesn't have any enemies. Additionally, the student's votes lean towards her.'

'Fine, inform her about this at the earliest opportunity.' Tsunade directed. She turned back to Kakashi, 'I think it's almost time for your first class.'

Naruto tried to block a splitting yawn, 'When the heck is that new teacher gonna show up?'

The entire class was abuzz with noise, quite obvious in the fact that no teacher was present. They were supposed to have a class with Asuma, but neither had Asuma shown up, nor that new substitute teacher. Everybody was taking advantage of the situation: girls gossiping, guys catching up on some much-needed sleep but some people (cough Naruto cough) were getting rather impatient.

'Chill dude.' Kiba was sprawled over the wooden desk. 'We love free periods and the new teacher's giving us that. Why the hell are you complaining?'

'Well firstly, I had enough sleep at home which was why Anko-sensei half-killed me for being lat- anyway forget that,' Naruto almost slipped, but blushing, he tried to cover it, 'So I'm not exactly feeling sleepy…which is kind of strange for me…seeing as I always feel sleepy…but still I don't know- '

'Hell-lo?' Kiba waved his hand in front of Naruto's face, only for Naruto to realise that he was rambling. Glowing red again, Naruto continued sheepishly, 'Basically I'm getting bored.'

'Fine then.' Kiba stood up, Naruto watching him warily. Kiba extended a hand towards Naruto, 'Let's go hang out in the grounds.'

'Are you sure?' Naruto was extremely hesitant. 'I mean, it's a new teacher, what if he punishes us?'

'Stop acting like a sissy, Naruto and come.' Kiba commanded. He spun to the desk behind him, 'Chouji, interested in coming?'

The response was a series of crunching noises from beneath the desk. Kiba peered down, only to receive a spray of hamburger bits on the face. Growling, Kiba walked towards Naruto, 'Forget it, only the Devil can take the food away from him now. Ready to go?'

Naruto reluctantly got up and followed Kiba, who was wiping his face in disgust. 'God knows how the hell Chouji's stomach can cope with so much stuffing. Have you ever seen him talk with an open mouth? Idiot…..'

'Going somewhere?' Naruto and Kiba's head snapped up to see a man with a mask, calmly looking down at them, cocking an eyebrow. Not receiving a reply from the boys, he casually tapped his feet, showing that he was waiting for a response.

'Who are you?' Kiba looked straight at the man, in a cool voice overflowing with attitude. Naruto hurriedly pulled Kiba's shirt from behind, trying to frantically signal to him to shut up. Ignoring Naruto, Kiba continued calmly, 'By the looks of you, I don't think you're someone who should be around here.'

'Are you having a class with Asuma Sarutobi right now?' Naruto was surprised to see the man addressing him. Not speaking a word, Naruto nodded mutely. The man smiled, atleast that was what Naruto thought, judging from the part of the stranger's face that was visible. The man turned to Kiba and almost smirked, 'If that is true, then I'm definitely in the right place, Inuzuka Kiba.'

Kiba's cocky arrogance deflated a little. In a more quiet voice, he asked, 'Who are you? And how do you know my name?'

The man smirked, or smiled, it was hard to tell. It was more like a mixture of the two. Without replying to Kiba, he swept inside the classroom. Almost involuntarily, Kiba and Naruto silently followed him. The noise inside the classroom dissipated on seeing the new incomer. With a wave of his hand, the man gestured for Naruto and Kiba to return to their seats. They did so, Naruto with special relief as he had been expecting a punishment. He had a fair idea who exactly the stranger was, but his curiosity was piqued by the man's strange appearance.

'Good morning class.' The man addressed the almost-silent class. 'I am Hatake Kakashi, your new substitute teacher.'

Kiba swore softly under his breath. He was not looking forward on receiving the price for his rudeness to the new teacher.

The students had again erupted in whispers, most students staring at Kakashi and his masked face. Kakashi raised a hand to silence the class, 'I have come in place of Asuma Sarutobi, as he has gone on a leave of absence for urgent work.'

Kiba snickered lightly, getting over his temporary apprehension on offending the new teacher. Naruto looked at him questioningly. Kiba explained, with a smirk on his face, 'Any bet that the name of sensei-Asuma's 'urgent work' is Kurenai?'

Naruto was about to ask Kiba who the heck was Kurenai, when Kakashi spoke again, distracting him, 'Is there anyone missing from this class?'

_Missing?_ Naruto scanned the classroom. Karin and her fellow bullies were murmuring at the back of the class, Sakura and Ino were attentively looking at Kakashi, Neji, Lee, Shino, Sai, Tenten, Ryoko, Hinata…Naruto paused a little. That was when he suddenly realised that a certain black-haired Uchiha wasn't present.

_Where the hell is Sasuke? Is he trying to get himself murdered?_

'Um…sensei?' Sakura raised her hand hesitantly. 'Uchiha Sasuke isn't here.'

Naruto could see Ino nudge her elbow into Sakura in an irritated manner, probably reprimanding her for ratting Sasuke out. Kakashi looked thoughtful at Sakura's words. 'Any of Sasuke's friends, go and call him now.'

For a minute, no one stood up. Naruto was beginning to see the truth to Kiba's words when they had first met, Sasuke indeed didn't have any friends and was probably not interested in having any. Naruto remembered when he had met Sasuke: there was an icy indifference to his eyes, to his whole demeanor. He was polite enough, but he remained cold and uncaring.

Finally, Karin rose up tentatively and walked towards the door. Before she could go out, Kakashi left a passing word, 'Tell him that if he doesn't come, I'm going to fail him.'

Most of the students's eyes widened on witnessing such unbelievably strictness. Karin looked shocked, but quickly nodded and left the room, probably in a hurry to find Sasuke.

'Now,' continued Kakashi nonchalantly as if his recent warning was of no importance to him at all, 'Please form a line outside the class. We're going to the grounds.'

All the student's eyebrows wrinkled in confusion. What on earth was this new teacher about? Wasn't he here to teach?

Sakura raised her hand again, apparently to voice the questions going through the students' mind. 'But Sensei, aren't we going to study?'

'Exactly.' Acting as if this single word answered all the questions running rampant through everyone's mind, Kakashi exited the class with amazing nonchalance. Murmuring amongst themselves, the students looked at each other, thoroughly confused. Finally, the students resigned themselves to finding the answer in the grounds. Slowly, in twos and threes, the class was emptied as everyone made their way to the school grounds.

Tramping wearily down the steps, Naruto prodded Kiba, 'By the way, who were you talking about earlier?'

'You mean sensei-Kurenai?' Kiba looked at Naruto for confirmation. 'Let's just say, Chouji, Shikamaru and I have stumbled upon sensei-Asuma and her 'together'' Kiba suggestively waggled his eyebrows. His snigger was enough to make Naruto understand what he was hinting at.

_Ew…_

The group of students finally reached the grounds. Searching the grounds, they finally found their new teacher leaning against an old fruit tree in the corner of the grounds. Thoroughly exhausted from running up and down the school, the students wearily made their way to Kakashi, forming a perfect circle around him.

Kakashi raised his head from the crimson book he was reading. Looking at the circle of students, he tucked the tiny tome in his back pocket and stood up, his tall figure casting a clear shadow on the ground. 'Now that all of you are here, I want you to form small groups. There are many fruit trees in the school orchard; I want one group to approach one tree each. Can you do that?'

For the third time successively, the students gave bewildered looks to each other. Kakashi was still standing there, looking expectantly at the class. With shuffling feet, the students slowly split up and made their way to the trees. After the entire process was complete, Kakashi lethargically walked to the centre of the orchard.

'I want each student to get one fruit by the end of the period. No ladders, no ropes, no climbing aids or instruments of any kind. Good luck.' With three brief sentences, Kakashi made his way out of the grounds.

For what seemed like ages, the students stood there and stared at each other. Finally, the silence was broken by Ino's voice, uttering a question everyone agreed with, 'Is that teacher mental?'

'Well, we got a free period and that too in the grounds, with a teacher's permission.' Kiba lazily yawned. 'Forget the fruits, let's chill.'

'Wait, he's coming back!' Naruto spun around to see Kakashi walking down the grounds again. However, this time he wasn't alone. Sasuke was slowly walking behind him, his face resembling a blank mask. Kakashi paused in front of the group of students, 'Well, what are you waiting for? Begin.'

Naruto was walking with a bored Kiba to the nearest tree when Kakashi's voice forced him to swivel around, 'Uzumaki Naruto, come here for a minute.'

'Yes sensei?' Naruto tentatively approached Kakashi, Sasuke standing not too far behind. Naruto let his eyes flick towards the black-haired Uchiha, but dropped his gaze the moment Sasuke's black orbs looked almost icily at him.

Kakashi looked at Sasuke, with an uncomprehending gaze, 'If you manage to get the fruit faster than your partner, you're free to skip all my classes. If you don't-' Kakashi paused. Naruto had the feeling that Kakashi glanced at him momentarily, 'You'll attend every single class there is.'

Kakashi walked away, leaving an awkward Naruto and an indifferent Sasuke behind. Naruto was getting more and more uncomfortable by the minute, feeling Sasuke's cold, emotionless stare. He shuffled his feet, not looking anywhere near Sasuke, 'Erm…uh…I think….we should get going.'

Not giving any sign that he had heard Naruto's mumbling, Sasuke walked wordlessly to the orchard. Naruto followed him, albeit reluctantly. Sasuke paused in front of the last tree in the orchard, Naruto behind him. Ignoring his partner, Sasuke began running his fingers over the tree trunk.

Naruto for his part stared up at the tree. The trunk was smooth, the bark slippery and the tree unbelievably tall. It looked almost impossible to climb, especially considering the lack of low, hanging branches. Naruto looked around, viewing how his classmates were tackling this challenge. Sakura was circling the tree, calculating its diameter or something, judging from the figures she was scribbling in her notebook, while Ino relaxed in the grass. But many of the students were gathered around the tree next to his, the echoing laughter signaling that there was a very funny spectacle.

Rock Lee was slowly, unyieldingly inching up the trunk of the tree, his legs wrapped around the smooth trunk. But every time he crossed the middle, his legs would slip and he would fall on his rear with a loud thump, accompanied by the raucous laughter of the students. But everytime it happened, he dusted himself off and started on the same journey again.

'Ow!' Lee fell for the fourteenth consecutive time on his rear. Many of the students were now rolling around in laughter. But Lee being Lee, he was loath to give up. He got up again and turned around to see Neji seated at the bottom of the tree, gazing at the cerulean sky. 'I swear to you Neji, I will never give up until I have beaten you!'

Quite unaware of the fact that Neji wasn't listening to him, and the students were now breathless with laughter from his recent declaration, Lee again wrapped his legs around the trunk. Little by little, he climbed up, 'Never give up….never give up….. must beat Neji…. never give up…never give up… aha!'

Lee had finally crossed the middle of the tree without slipping, his legs locked around the trunk. He looked up, seeing the golden fruit glinting right above him. He slowly withdrew his hand from the tight grip around the tree and stretched it high up, almost in reach. Precariously balancing himself, he stretched his hand further and further, his fingertips skimming the golden fruit, 'Almost there…..almost there…..nearly got it….c'mon….nearly…..aaargh!'

Just as Lee had been about to pluck the fruit, he heard something whistle through the air, as if someone had cut right through the wind. Distracted, he turned around to see Neji propelled through the air with the help of a long, wooden stick and zooming towards him. Letting go of the stick; Neji leaped nimbly in midflight, landing on the tree with one foot, only to flip again and while airborne, snatch the fruit gracefully from under Lee's hand. As Lee let out a strangled yell and lost his grip, falling for the fifteenth consecutive time, Neji pirouetted and landed lightly on the ground on his two feet, the golden fruit in his hand.

'A very good demonstration of the force of momentum, Hyuuga Neji.' The crowd of students, currently gobsmacked by Neji's amazing display of agility, turned to see Kakashi, with an approving look on his face. Neji did not reply to this praise and simply sat down on his normal perch beneath the tree, resuming his activity of gazing at the sky.

Kakashi walked to the tree, 'Most of you have been unable to get the fruit, simply because you don't apply what you learn. What you study is not supposed to be mugged up, it is supposed to be applied in what you do. Otherwise, how on earth are you supposed to learn? Now, I am going to demonstrate to you what I'm really talking about.'

The students perked up, eager to see what Kakashi was going to show them. Sakura was almost leaping, while the most bored students raised an eyebrow. Even Naruto found himself curious to see what Kakashi was actually going to do.

Kakashi slowly walked to the tree trunk, the eyes of every student on him. He bent down, and scooped up a stone from the ground. The students stared impatiently as Kakashi casually handled the stone in his free hand. Finally, without blinking an eye, Kakashi flinged it towards the lowest branch. A golden fruit dislodged with a thunk and fell directly into Kakashi's hand.

The students blinked. Silence reigned, no one speaking a word .Some waited for more, but when nothing happened, looks of outrage appeared on the students's faces. Series of, 'That's it?' echoed through the group of students. All this trouble was for nothing? They could have done it simply with a stone?

'Every action has an equal and opposite reaction. Standard law of physics. As was demonstrated by the stone and the fruit. The throwing of the stone was the action, the falling of the fruit the reaction.' Kakashi calmly explained without batting an eyelid. He seemed to not notice the students' outraged whispers.

'Sensei?' Sakura hesitantly asked. 'Um…I thought you said not to use anything.'

'Correction. I said not to use any ladders, ropes, climbing aids or instruments.' Kakashi was still extraordinarily cool and nonchalant in his manner. He looked at Sakura and raised an eyebrow, 'Surely you don't count a pebble as an 'instrument'?'

The students' indignant muttering did not die down, though Kakashi seemed to be impervious to it. Like the rest of his classmates, Naruto was also shocked for all the trouble they had to go through for the sake of one pebble. He looked back at the tree he was supposed to be climbing, when he noticed a figure running at full speed towards it. Eyes widened, Naruto approached the tree to see Sasuke run straight in front the tree and leap as high as possible. His feet collided against the tree, as he rebounded against the trunk, the impetus of the jump thrusting him into midair. His left hand grabbed the high branch that had come into reach and he spun using it as an axis, the fast wheeling motion carrying him even higher. As he let go with startling speed, his hand just managed to dislodge the fruit. However, it slipped through his fingers as he was rapidly descending and by a remarkable play of luck, rolled down to Naruto's feet.

Naruto picked it up and was going to hand it over to Sasuke, who had just landed on the ground, when he got startled by Kakashi suddenly appearing beside their tree. Sasuke dusted himself off, and looked at Kakashi, his impassive mask intact. Glancing at Naruto's hand which held the golden fruit, Kakashi turned to Sasuke, 'Looks like you have to attend all the classes after all.'

Before Naruto could offer an explanation, or even open his mouth, the bell rang signaling the end of the class. Kakashi strode away leaving Sasuke and Naruto in an even more awkward position than before.

'I'm sorry…..I didn't mean to-' Sasuke walked away before Naruto could finish his apology, but not before sending a cold, almost calculating look at him. Naruto could only look at his back as he treaded into the school building, vanishing from view.

_Aw man, I'm dead._

**A/N: Review or else….**

**Fine, we know there's nothing much to threaten you with, but please review!**


	6. Adventures in Sendai: Part 1

DISCLAIMER: Masashi Kishimoto owns Naruto, but I own Itachi's heart. Take that! :p

**A/N: Been a long wait, I know. We had to change a lot of stuff just so we could get more reviews. Come on you guys, we're **_**begging **_**here. The lack of response is so humiliating to two awesome writers like us (insert vain smirks here)! Anyway, this will be a long chapter simply because it has ITACHI in it and c'mon, who wouldn't give **_**him**_** a long chapter?**

**Chapter 6. Adventures in Sendai: Part 1**

Sasuke stormed up the stairs leading to his bedroom after slamming the front door shut in anger. First that stupid excuse for a teacher showed up and acted like he could order him around, and now the idiot blonde just _had _to get the spotlight for something he didn't even do! _Life is unfair, _the (very dominant) emo side of him screamed. Well, it's not like he'd go cut himself for it or anything. Sure, Sasuke was emo, but he was a very different – _worse _– kind; the kind that took all that hurt and anger out on others. And when 'others' were not around, the poor furniture suffered.

Having accomplished a broken vase, sofa leg, and coffee table, Sasuke finally walked over to the door to his own personal space and opened it lazily, making sure to lock it securely, if only to make his mother worry. His room looked like it always had, black wallpaper, black carpet, black curtains, black bedspreads…it was like a funeral room, period. But he liked it that way. And anyway, the many posters made up for the lack of color.

He was about to fling himself on the bed when he noticed an envelope lying on his pillow, the sharp white almost blinding him after all the black décor around. Curiously, he picked it up and noticed it was addressed to him, so he slashed it open with the fake black nail on his pinky. Two tickets slipped out and fell onto the floor. Realizing what they were and who they were from, he couldn't help a (barely noticeable) smile.

He picked them up, the two tickets to an Akatsuki concert. It was like a tradition, really – _he _would always send them every year without fail, even if Sasuke never showed up to a single concert. _Hn, _Sasuke mentally smirked. _Are you that eager to see me, aniki? _

His aniki, his Itachi – the brother he both hated and loved. Ever since he was practically born, Sasuke had always been overshadowed by his genius elder brother. Itachi could read and write when he was barely three and a half, graduated from college at eight and then threw away all his potential career choices to join a band. Sure, they might be _the hottest _thing in the J-Pop/K-Pop scene at the moment, but still, Itachi could've done so much more. And yet, his father never failed to play favorites with his sons and made sure to send the message across to Sasuke that he was useless compared to Itachi. Hence he couldn't help the hate and sibling rivalry that had crept in.

And yet, Itachi was _always _there for him when he needed him to be. Fugaku was always pressuring him, and Mikoto was always too timid to stand up to her husband or defend her youngest son. So Sasuke was always stuck with Itachi, which he didn't mind. They shared a close bond that rivaled that of any romantic love that existed, even if they did have their squabbles at times – all started by Sasuke, because he had a big ego that could easily be bruised, while Itachi was more of a calm pacifist. Of course he would never admit that aloud.

Sasuke fished out his BlackBerry from his pocket and scrolled through the contacts until he found Itachi's name. The rings played out a few times before his brother's familiar voice answered. "Hello?"

"Aniki." Sasuke smiled to himself, it felt good to be able to talk to his hero again. Itachi always did have good timing. "I got your…uh, gift, if that's what you wanna call it."

He heard a chuckle at the other end. "Come on, Sasuke, _one _concert won't kill you. It's being held in Sendai this year. At least come for the last song and then meet me backstage. I really miss us hanging out together."

"I'll think about it," replied Sasuke. "Why'd you send me two this year?"

"Hmm?" Itachi sounded mildly surprised. "You mean you _still _don't have a girlfriend yet?"

Sasuke couldn't help a tiny blush. "You are so typical!" he cried.

"I'll take that as a no," Itachi chuckled. "Sheesh, with your looks, I'm surprised. Well, whatever. Keep one for a friend or something who wants to tag along."

Silence at the other end.

"Oh, no," sighed Itachi. "So you still don't have a _friend_ either, huh?"

"I have friends!" spluttered Sasuke. "Well…they're not exactly _friends, _but I talk to them…and…erm…" he bit his lip to keep from sounding any stupider. Itachi was the only person in the world who could have him at a loss for words at times. One of the things he hated about having a genius for a brother. Ah well, you can't pick family. "Are you done playing with my mind yet? !"

"You are so much fun to annoy," replied Itachi, the smirk clear in his voice. "I gotta go, kiddo. Show up this time, alright?"

"Whatever. Bye." Sasuke was about to hang up before adding a very hesitant, mumbled, "I miss you, aniki."

"I miss you, too," Itachi's voice grew softer. "Take care of okaa-san for me. Bye."

"Bye…"

And with that, the line went dead, and he was alone again.

~ X ~

"I'M BACK!" Naruto's booming voice echoed through the small apartment, almost shattering everything made of glass in their home. "DAD? ARE YOU HOME?"

"Kitchen," Minato called back, used to the loud voice that his Kushina had bestowed upon their son. Naruto came bounding in a few minutes later, as happy and energetic as he had always been. Cerulean met cerulean as Naruto practically tackled his father with a bear-hug. "Hey, what's gotten into you?" Minato chuckled, although he already knew the answer. He was rarely home these days, ever since they'd moved back to Konoha. Things were tough in the financial department for the family, so he was usually out working three jobs one after the other. It might've meant less father-son bonding time, but that did nothing to change the love both had for each other.

"Dad, dad, guess what? !" Naruto shouted excitedly. "I made friends with almost half the class now, and…"

Minato listened intently to his son's fast rambling, he'd learnt over the years that you have to only pick the most important parts of the conversation when listening to Naruto talk – he could get sidetracked _very _easily.

"…And so we're getting a two week holiday!" Naruto finished (finally). "Isn't that great? !"

"It is," nodded Minato. "Good timing, as well."

"Hmm? How so?" Naruto cocked his head curiously to one side (aww!).

Minato chose to take his time so as to build the suspense. "Well, Jiraiya-sensei's books are increasingly popular in Sendai, so he got invited there for some award ceremony, and he told me I needed a break from my work, so he offered…" he dramatically fished out about five flight tickets from his jeans pocket. "…to take me and you along, seeing as it was an all-expenses paid trip – "

He didn't get to finish as he was nearly choked to death by another eager hug. "COOL!" Naruto shouted happily. "WE'RE GOING TO SENDAI! YAY, YAY, YAY, YAY, YAY…"

This time Minato couldn't help but flinch as he worried about whether his ear drums were broken or not. "That's not the best part," he managed a (slightly pained) smile. "You get to bring three of your friends along for the trip, so – "

"**COULD THIS DAY GET ANY BETTER ? ! !**" Naruto's eyes had changed into huge stars. "I'll go tell them right now! See ya…"

And he was gone in a flash, leaving Minato shaking his head in amusement, one finger poking his ears to check for any damage.

~ X ~

Naruto was on Skype within seconds, video-chatting with his crazy friends.

"Sendai, huh?" Kiba looked thoughtful as he stroked his chin. "Hmm…I guess my mom would let me go if your dad personally assured her that we would not be getting into any trouble."

"Can't promise you that if my godfather's coming with us," replied Naruto sheepishly. "He's a little…on the not-so-appropriate side…if you know what I mean."

"Well, duh, he writes porn for goodness sakes," Shikamaru yawned. "Sorry, Naru, I can't. I promised my old man that we'd finally get around to finishing the woodshed for mom during the break, so, sorry."

"My dad won't let me if Shikamaru's not going," said Chouji, finally looking up from his…whatever that was he was eating. "So I guess you're down to Gaara and Kiba."

"What about you, Gaara?" Naruto asked, he had developed quite a close friendship with the quiet redhead. "Please don't let me down, buddy…" he pouted, using his best 'lost-puppy' look.

Gaara sighed as he closed his eyes. "Alright, I will," he answered. "Temari and Kankurou will cover for me with dad."

Naruto looked sympathetic now. "You two are still going at it?" he asked kindly.

Gaara nodded. "The old fart locked me in," he pointed to the door behind him.

Naruto just plain sweat-dropped now. "He doesn't know you have a laptop in there, does he?"

Gaara smirked for a fraction of a second. "What he doesn't know won't hurt him, although I wish it did."

"Evil bastard," Naruto grinned back at his bestest-best-friend-in-the-whole-wide-world. "So then, that means Kiba and Gaara are a definite yes…that leaves one more ticket. Who'll take that?"

Kiba's features suddenly lit up. "Leave it to me!" he said with a mischievous glint in his eyes. "I know _just _the person."

~ X ~

Naruto impatiently tapped his foot on the concrete, wondering what was taking his friends so long. His dad and Jiraiya had already gone ahead, instructing Naruto to catch up with them once his friends arrived since the airport was just a 15-minute walk away. He squinted his eyes to look down the road, finally spotting a mop of red hair.

"GAARA!" he tackled the redhead, whose eyes widened in discomfort more than surprise, he was used to Naruto's massive hugs by now. The blonde was the only one who was allowed to do that kind of thing to him. "Get off me before I suffocate," he muttered monotonously. Naruto did and returned to scanning the road. "What's _taking _them so long? !"

Finally Kiba's car – a scary-looking, huge, battered-up hybrid – appeared, moving fast, it was obvious that Hana was driving. "Naruto-kun!" said female waved at him. "Gaara. Climb on, we're going!"

"Yo!" Kiba grinned at them from the backseat. "Come on, there's not much space but if Gaara goes to the front we can fit."

"Who's there with you?" Naruto wondered curiously as he proceeded to open the door, but was stopped by Kiba. "Uh-uh-uh," he shook his head. "Other side."

"Fine," Naruto scowled, walking around the vehicle, and climbing in from the other side – right next to none other than the Hyuuga girl who had so intrigued him since the first day he joined Konoha High. For a moment the two only locked eyes in surprise, until the girl looked away, face as red as a tomato.

Kiba regarded the interaction with a mischievous smirk. "Naruto, meet Hinata. She's a family friend so her father easily allowed her to tag along with us for the vacation."

"Erm, hi," smiled Naruto, rubbing the nape of his neck nervously, although he didn't know why. He swallowed and attempted a brave grin. "We've never talked before, have we? It's really nice to meet you, _'tebayo_!"

Hinata fidgeted with the hem of her stunning sundress shyly. "N-Nice to m-meet you too, N-Naru-Naruto-k-kun," she stuttered.

Hana chose that particular moment to start driving off at an amazingly fast speed, and the three passengers at the back were tossed around mercilessly.

"OI, ONEE-CHAN!" Kiba yelled. "SLOW DOWN ALREADY!"

"WHAT? !" Hana yelled back, not hearing anything over the loud Rap music she was now blaring.

Naruto mentally sighed as he resigned himself to a very bumpy ride, squeezed between the door and Hinata. _Oh, brother…_

Little did he know what a prediction he had just made…

~ X ~

They arrived at the airport a few minutes later, and after some quick introductions they were well on their way. Jiraiya turned out to be really fun to talk to, even though he was pretty perverted (Naruto had to make sure Hinata was well and truly out of his way). And then, before they knew it, they were in Sendai, the beautiful town off the coast of Japan, right next to the Ishinomaki Bay.

"Awesome!" Naruto breathed as they entered their room in a hotel that was right near the ocean. "Look at the view! It's amazing!"

"I'll say," Kiba agreed, glancing out. "But forget that, check this hotel _out_! I cannot believe we're staying here for free. Although I am kinda lonely without Akamaru. Stupid flights and their rules about no dogs!"

Gaara didn't say a word until he had carefully put away his things. "Aren't you supposed to be in your own room, Kiba?"

"Fine," Kiba sighed in mock dejection, adding a British accent for emphasis. "I can see that I am not wanted, therefore I shall solemnly slink away, loved by none but myself."

Naruto laughed and shoved the brunet out the door. Gaara and Naruto were sharing a room, Minato and Jiraiya one, and Kiba and Hinata, since she felt awkward being with anyone else. Naruto couldn't help but feel a tiny inkling of jealousy about that. It wasn't strange, though – Hinata had this thing in her persona that made everyone go overprotective-big-brother mode around her.

"Well, I'm turning in for the day," Naruto announced as he yawned and flopped down on the bed. Gaara nodded and proceeded to sit down next to his blonde friend's head. Naruto cast him a worried glance. "Aren't you gonna at least _try _to go to sleep?"

Gaara looked unsure but lay down anyway, pretending to close his eyes just to please Naruto, but they shot open again once he was sure the blonde was asleep. Stupid insomnia, making his one and only best friend worry about him…

~ X ~

"Ooh! Ooh! That one!" Naruto cried excitedly, pointing at some random shop. Sendai's shopping district certainly _was _as huge as the rumors said. The four friends were walking around town, trying to find something to do. Kiba studied the shop Naruto was pointing to and started laughing. "Didn't know you cared for medicinal herbs, Naruto!"

Naruto blushed deeply. "OH SHUT UP!" he shouted, annoyed, and completely ignoring the strange looks people were giving him.

Hinata giggled in the shy way only she could pull off, and Naruto smiled at her. "Where do you wanna go, Hinata-chan?"

"Oh…er…um…" she went all red again, retreating back into her shell. "I…erm…I…"

"There!" Kiba pointed at a pet shop happily.

"You can meet your long-lost relatives later," teased Naruto. "You were saying, Hinata?"

He turned and froze, and so did Kiba. One second Hinata was there, the next, she wasn't. "OI, HINATA!" Naruto called, hoping she was just lost in the crowd or something. _Where are you? _

Gaara, who had stopped at a piercing stall to get a new labret bar, emerged, looking deadly serious. "Brown hair, green eyes, tattoo on his shoulder. He used chloroform on her, I'm sure. This way."

Without waiting, Naruto and Kiba ran after Gaara, wondering where he was headed. Soon, though, the huge mall was beginning to be a little too large to search. "Split up!" Kiba ordered. "We have to find her!"

"Why would they take her? !" Naruto was confused by now.

"She's the Hyuuga heiress, they obviously want money," informed Gaara. "I bet this isn't the first time she's been through something like this. Split up, hurry!"

Naruto nodded and ran towards the right, while Kiba took the left and Gaara went straight ahead. This was so unexpected…

Naruto ran blindly, trying hard not to panic as he searched the area. He had already called Minato and Jiraiya to inform them of what had happened. Poor Hinata, the things she must've gone through since the time when she was small. There was actually a very brave side to the shy girl, after all. Lost in his worry, he didn't notice where he was headed until he accidentally bumped into a strong chest. "Oi, watch where you're go – "

His sentence was cut short when he noticed _who _he had bumped into. Long, black hair. Icy obsidian eyes. And two tear ducts down his face… "UCHIHA ITACHI!" he shouted, but a firm hand clasped his mouth shut and pulled him away until they were in the corner of some alleyway. Itachi finally let his hand fall limp.

"What was that for? !" Naruto demanded. "I was gonna say I was your biggest fan, but now I have to rethink my decision!"

Itachi raised an eyebrow at him curiously. "You shouted at the wrong time…if I'd let us stay there you'd be mauled to death by my rabid fangirls." He shuddered. "Monsters, seriously…"

Naruto stared, amazed at seeing such a popular celebrity acting so _normal. _Then he suddenly remembered what he had been looking for. "Hinata!" he cried. "Itachi-san, did you happen to see a guy with brown hair and green eyes, or a girl with black hair and grey eyes? She's my friend, she was kidnapped and – "

Itachi didn't wait for him to finish. Rushing out of the alleyway with Naruto in tow, he walked over to his black Lamborghini and slipped inside, beckoning for Naruto to follow. The blonde did, buckling the seatbelt. "Hold on tight," Itachi instructed, then started the car without warning. All Naruto could say was, he certainly was faster that Hana. The car swerved impressively around traffic while Itachi kept his eyes glued to the window. After a few seconds, his eyes widened. He turned and stopped the car abruptly in front of a barber shop.

Naruto looked confused, but stepped out of the car after Itachi. The older of the two was already in front of the shop, picking something up from the ground. "Does this belong to your friend?" he asked as he held up a pink scarf. Naruto nodded vigorously. "Yeah, Hinata was wearing that. But how did you notice it from that distance? !"

Itachi didn't answer, and walked straight into the shop. The owner gave a look of surprise before his eyes glared daggers at them. "The sign, it say 'closed'," he said in a foreign accent. "We no help you. You go. Go!"

Naruto looked a little frightened but Itachi ignored him, walking towards the back room.

"You no hear me? !" the balding man demanded again, clutching Itachi by the shoulder. Itachi simply sent him an icy glare and he backed away in fear. Even Naruto couldn't help but gulp once he caught the dangerous look. Itachi was _scary_.

"Hey, kid," Itachi's voice called, jerking Naruto out of his momentary spacing out. He had opened the door to the back room wide, to reveal Hinata tied and gagged, still unconscious on the couch. "Is this your girlfriend?"

Naruto blushed. "She's not my girlfriend," he snapped as he moved forward, hurriedly untying her binds. "Thank goodness you're safe…"

"HOLD IT!" A voice interrupted, and the guy who had kidnapped her appeared, holding an AK-47. Naruto froze as he stared at the weapon that had suddenly been trained on Itachi. "ONE MOVE AND I'LL SHOOT HIM!"

And then, to Naruto's surprise, Itachi actually chuckled. "You?" he scrutinized the man up and down with his calculating eyes. "Shoot me? Hn. I'd like to see you try."

"Why you…!" the man proceeded to pull the trigger, but before he knew it, the gun was out of his hand and on the floor, having been hit by something on his wrist. On looking to see what it was, the man only discovered a tiny raisin. He stared at Itachi in fright.

"That look suits you," Itachi taunted. "You've learnt your lesson in underestimating your opponent. You will now let us go quietly, or I will call the police on the scene."

"T-Take her!" the man cowered in fear. "J-Just leave us alone!"

Itachi closed his eyes, walking past Naruto, who was carrying Hinata bridal-style. "Come on, kid, let's go."

~ X ~

Fifteen minutes in that Lamborghini, and Naruto _still _hadn't stopped staring in awe.

"Naruto-kun…" Itachi asked warily. "Could you _not _look at me like that while I'm driving?"

Naruto snapped out of his reverie. "Oh, sorry," he grinned sheepishly. "Erm, thanks for helping me find Hinata."

"No problem," Itachi smiled. "That girl is a Hyuuga, isn't she? Poor thing. Some people don't know how hard it is to be rich sometimes. My little brother was once kidnapped too, you know."

"What happened?" asked Naruto curiously.

"I found the culprits before the cops did," Itachi shrugged nonchalantly. "And I killed them."

Naruto gulped nervously. "Heh heh…of course."

"So, you're an Akatsuki fan?" asked Itachi, changing the subject.

"Am I ever!" Naruto grinned. "I have all your albums in my collection. You guys are just so talented!"

"Thank you," smiled Itachi. "You know, we're having a concert here tomorrow night. Wanna come?"

Naruto looked like it was too good to be true. "Seriously? !"

"Seriously," Itachi replied, handing him a ticket. "Combined ticket, backstage pass, and invitation to the after party," he explained. "You can bring all your friends, too, including the pretty lady back there," he winked.

Naruto ignored it. "Gee, thanks, Itachi-san!"

"You don't have to call me that," said Itachi. "It sounds so formal."

"Ok, then," Naruto thought for a while. "I know! 'Tachi-nii!"

Itachi chuckled. "That's a bit too personal, but somehow it suits, coming from you. 'Tachi-nii it is."

Naruto smiled back contentedly.

They pulled up in front of the hotel Naruto was staying at, and the blonde got out immediately. "Thanks for everything! We'll definitely be there tomorrow!" he waved.

"Good," Itachi nodded. "Oh, and say hi to Minato-san for me."

Naruto could only stare as the Lamborghini disappeared around the bend.

**A/N: Woah, 3810 words. I beat my own record! Woohoo! Did you like it? Hate it? Not interested? Don't care? Let us know, press that tempting review button, now, and don't be shy! **


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